There are renewed calls for a new music venue to be built in the city centre after Coventry was named as a host of BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend.

Speaking shortly after it was confirmed that Coventry would be a host city for the huge nationwide event, councillor Ed Ruane has again argued that the city centre needs a new venue.

Last year, he told BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire that it should be seriously considered should Coventry win the race to be UK City of Culture 2021 - which we did.

And now, although Coventry is set to host a number of musical stars in the coming months, Cllr Ruane believes that the city could aim bigger.

He said: “Personally, I’d like to see a new music venue established in the heart our city centre. We have to look at the acts that the NEC, NIA and O2 Academy (in Birmingham) attract, we need to be operating on that level, if we really want to change the footfall in our city centre.

“You only have to look at how the NIA helped to regenerate Broad Street and Brindley Place in Birmingham, a music venue in Coventry city centre would help speed up our regeneration and help improve our cultural image.”

Both the NEC and NIA in Birmingham have capacities of over 10,000, significantly bigger than Coventry’s city centre music venues, The Empire and The Kasbah.

Cllr Ed Ruane

The Ricoh Arena has hosted several gigs in recent years - both in the stadium bowl and the smaller arena – and Ronan Keating is due to play the Ericsson Indoor Arena at the stadium at the end of next month.

Birmingham has been able to attract huge international names in recent weeks, including pop sensation Lady Gaga, with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Katy Perry set to follow later this year.

However, Cllr Ruane does not believe that a new venue would be a detriment to either of the current musical hubs in the city, saying: “I’d love to see the growth of more top acts coming to The Empire and The Kasbah. But our city centre currently doesn’t have a venue such as the NIA, which can be used for conferences and musical acts.”

In the coming months, Coventry is welcoming a host of 90s stars, in addition to a number of indie offerings, including The Wombats and Tom Clarke of The Enemy.

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In December, Cllr Ruane spoke with BBC Coventry and Warwickshire’s Phil Upton, and he called for some of the City of Culture funding to go towards a new venue. He said: “Personally, I’d love to see another music venue, like a civic hall in the city centre. Similar probably to the one you’ve got in Wolverhampton. We do really lack a good music venue.

“I know we’ve got the Empire which opened up a few years ago but if we could attract something like that. You could really argue about having a long lasting legacy in the city, should we win the bid.

“We have to look at the bands at the NEC and the NIA and what they attract, and I think we need to be operating on that same stage, if we really want to change the footfall in the city centre. For me it’s about the infrastructure and the regeneration that our city centre so desperately needs. That was really for me the fundamental point of bidding for the scheme in terms of the amount of money that we’d be able to attract into the city centre in terms of outside investment.

“It’s not only the good feel factor, but it does bring thousands and thousands of visitors to the city, that wouldn’t necessarily come.”